Stonefly Results Summary 2022

Hello Stonefly Volunteers!
Thank you all for volunteering your efforts back in January to assist in this valuable program. Below is a summary of our 2022 Stonefly Search results. Overall, a total of 13 sites were monitored in 2022. Thank you all for your dedication to this program!

This year stoneflies were found at 6 out of 13 sites, or about 46% of sites surveyed. This was slightly lower than 2021, when stoneflies were found at 8 out of 15 sites, or about 53% of sites surveyed. Average water temperature this year was 32.5⁰F, 2021 average water temperature was 33⁰F. To refresh your memories, Capniidae is the small winter stonefly family and Taeniopterygidae is the winter stonefly family. Capniidae were found at 4 sites in 2022 and Taeniopterygidae were found at 5 sites. Additional site information can be seen in the appendices including trends from previous years monitoring efforts.

In addition to stonefly surveys, volunteers also gathered data for the SaltWatch program, through the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA). The highest Chloride concentrations were found in the Clinton River main stem. CRWC intends to continue monitoring Chloride through our citizen science programs in the future. Then we will be able to build a baseline data set for Chloride concentrations throughout the watershed, allowing us to monitor for changes over time. Additionally, by including SaltWatch in our Adopt-A-Stream spring and fall monitoring, we will be able to look at Chloride levels before, during and after the winter season. This is important for monitoring the effects of road salt on the watershed. 2022 SaltWatch data and results can be seen in the table below.

We thank you for your dedication to this program and we look forward to seeing you all again soon! Adopt-A-Stream training events and spring monitoring is right around the corner, if you are not already involved and would like to participate, please reach out to us at contact@crwc.org. We hope you have a safe and happy 2022!

Best,
Eric Diesing
Watershed Ecologist